By: Teressa Gehrke
Digital Training Chair | digitaltraining@nfbpwc.org

Handling the Holidays

Feeling overwhelmed by advertisements and pressure to buy for the holidays? You’re not the only one. The holidays are known for joyful moments and stress. With kids and grandkids home over the holiday break, it’s a great time to rethink how much screen time they should spend on the TV, phone, gaming and other electronic devices. 

It has been well researched that too much screen time can cause adverse health effects. I remember reading The Berenstains Bears and Too Much TV as a child. The cubs wanted to watch TV instead of playing outside or reading. I have a feeling Mama Bear wouldn’t be happy if she saw how technology has changed. The point is to have measured time for entertainment, family time, and being in tune with nature.

Reducing Screen Time for Youth 

In a 2021 report from Common Sense Media, they “estimated tweens spend an average of 5 hours and 33 minutes using screen-based entertainment each day, while teenagers devote a whopping 8 hours and 39 minutes. A surge in screen use has led to some individuals, including children, adolescents and adults, developing screen-related addictions.” 

These disordered addictions have been linked to lower cognitive function. The research found that individuals with disordered screen use have “significantly poorer cognitive performance compared to others” without the disorder and found they also had lower attention spans. This hinders executive functioning and learning capabilities.

Better Health Outcomes

Staring at a screen for an extended period of time can lead to eye strain, fatigue, headaches, blurred vision, dry and itchy eyes. Taking consistent breaks from the screen can help minimize these effects because it allows the eyes to rest and focus on something else. 

People who use digital devices daily such as office workers and gamers should be taking consistent screen breaks to ensure they get enough rest mentally and physically.

When spending long periods of time in front of a screen, it’s important to take short breaks often. You can take 5-10 minutes every hour, rather than 20 minutes every 2 hours. If needed, you can follow the 20-20-20 Rule.  After spending 20 minutes on a screen, take a break and look at an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This will help with eye strain and fatigue.

Now, stop reading this blog and go for a nice walk outside.

For additional assistance or questions, email: digitaltraining@nfbpwc.org 

Additional resources:

• Excessive Screen Time 

• Screen Breaks

• Taking Breaks 

• Reduce Screen Time

Art provided by Vecteezy
Screen Time by JM Grafix 
Holiday by Teeradej Srikijvilaikul 
Health by Muhammad Khaleeq